Cookie Monster is a twist on outdoor recess favorite: tag. This fun variation encourages careful attention to the rules—and lots of running! Cookie Monster is great for younger students in a medium to large playground space. It’s a game one of our coaches loves so much, he tells students to call him Coach Cookie Monster!
Who: Grades K-2
Players: 15+
Time: 25+ minutes
Where: Large playground
EQUIPMENT:
- None
SET-UP:
- Students form a line
HOW TO PLAY:
- Line up! You are the “Cookies” and I am the “Cookie Monster.”
- “Cookies” must get to the other side without getting tagged by the “Cookie Monster.”
- To start, say “Cookie Monster, Cookie Monster are you hungry?”
- If I say “yes”, run across.
- If I say “no”, then stay and ask again.
- If tagged, help me tag other “Cookies” with two fingers.
FOR UNDERSTANDING:
- What do you have to ask the Cookie Monster?
- What do you do when you are tagged?
GAME TIP:
- Have the last person tagged be the “Cookie Monster.”
CONFLICT RESOLUTION TIP:
- •Make sure students tag lightly with two fingers.
INDOOR TIP:
- Switch to walking to lower the energy of the game.
REP IT OUT!
EASY: Walk
MEDIUM: Hop on two feet
HARD: Skip
Check out more active recess games from Asphalt Green's REP team:
- Rock-Paper-Scissor Championship: A high-energy twist on the classic recess game
- Up, Down, Stomp, Clap: This indoor recess game is perfect for play in small spaces
- Straddle Ball: Nobody’s ever out in Straddle Ball. All you need is a ball and a group of people
- Switch: This outdoor recess game keeps kids moving from start to finish
- Helicopter: This recess game gets kids hopping and having fun in no time
- Band Aid Tag: An outdoor recess game where everybody’s “it”